The Nutrition for Growth (N4G) summit: a much-needed glimmer of hope in a grim context
A recently published article in the journal Nature attempts to quantify the impact of aid budget cuts on nutrition. The aid cuts are estimated to mean a 44% reduction of the $1.6 billion in donor aid provided toward global nutrition targets in 2022. It found that 2.3 million children could lose access to lifesaving treatment for severe acute malnutrition, and up to 60% of them may not survive. The authors project an additional 369,000 child deaths per year as a direct consequence of the aid cuts. (Publication #1)
Drawing from relevant experiences in the broader global health landscape, a paper by the Centre for Global Development proposes four policy recommendations to enhance the near-term impact and long-term sustainability of nutrition-specific financing: i) leveraging additional resources for nutrition via the multilateral development banks; ii) exploring options to make external financing more stable and predictable; 3) preparing countries to transition from external financing, and iv) implementing results-based funding to drive greater accountability. (Publication #2)
In this context, the Nutrition for Growth summit in Paris (27-28 March) was a much-needed glimmer of hope. It was the first major global pledging conference since the Trump administration announced in January that it would cut the majority of U.S. humanitarian and development aid. The Summit has garnered $27.55 billion in commitments from donors, without commitments from the United States or the United Kingdom, to end malnutrition globally — breaking the record set at the previous N4G summit in Tokyo in 2021. (News #1)
The European Union increased its commitment to fight malnutrition by nearly 40% compared to its 2021 pledge, reaching €6.5 billion, out of which the European Commission allocated €3.4 billion, for the period 2024-2027. The EU's investment will focus on supporting partner countries facing high levels of child malnutrition, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. It will target children under five and young pregnant and lactating mothers suffering from severe acute malnutrition. (News #2)
News #3 underlines the diversification of funding sources compared to the previous summit, with a much bigger presence of Multilateral Development Banks. Notably, the World Bank committed $ 5 billion and the African Development Bank $ 9.5 billion until 2030. Private donors also played a significant role, notably philanthropic organizations who committed $ 2 billion in the coming years to fight malnutrition. Lower- and middle-income countries have also made significant political and financial commitments, like Madagascar who pledged to spend 5% of its national budget on nutrition.
On the Summit, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution to extend the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition (originally 2016–2025) until 2030. This extension seeks to sustain political momentum to end malnutrition in all its forms by 2030, at global, regional, and national levels, and to align its goals with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The resolution reaffirms commitment to school meal programs, the right to food, sustainable agricultural production, resilient food systems, as well as the role of healthy diets in reducing risk of non-communicable diseases. (News #4)
A Child and Youth Call to Action was presented at the closing ceremony of the summit calls for greater involvement of young people in decision-making.
Finally, the “Village des Solutions” showcased concrete and innovative solutions for nutrition and sustainable food systems. Many side-events were also organised, in particular on nutrition, agroecology and food systems hosted by Agrinatura and the European Commission. (Event #5)
An opportunity for a systemic approach to implementing nutrition commitments
The World Bank shows that the social and economic costs of malnutrition will exceed $ 21 trillion globally over the next decade. Yet every dollar invested in nutrition generates a return of 23 dollars – one of the most profitable investments in terms of development. (Publication #3)
In a recent publication, the World Bank analyses the links between public support in the agrifood sector and healthy diets. The work shows that there is an imperative to rethink and repurpose agrifood support in a way that better promotes healthy diets. While there may be trade-offs, the authors identify opportunities for multiple wins across different outcomes—such as climate, nutrition, and poverty alleviation. In Sub-Saharan Africa, simultaneously increasing and rebalancing agrifood support can yield important benefits. Results from a modelling exercise show that expanding agriculture spending in Africa while targeting high-priority commodities, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts, is a viable option to improve competitiveness in global markets and to increase the nutritional value of diets in the region. (Publication #4)
Based on a one-year study on the resilience of food systems, the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition has identified major opportunities for strengthening food-system resilience while also potentially benefiting the health of populations and the environment. Agro-ecological management practices are one significant example. Other ones include strengthening multi-level governance and rethinking trade policy to better support their resilience; and promoting private sector investment in food systems transformation. Among the suggested research priorities, the report recommends investigating how trade agreements and regulations (global and regional) could strengthen the resilience of food systems and ensure secure access to sustainable and healthy diets. (Publication #5)
With the Global Compact on Nutrition Integration, the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement in partnership with the United Kingdom calls for a systemic approach to integrating nutrition across sectors that may not have traditionally prioritized it, such as trade, climate resilience, and global health. (Publication #6)
Publication #7 provides an insight into how, since the 2021 Nutrition for Growth Summit in Tokyo, EU and Member States’ investments in nutrition initiatives are driving sustainable agrifood systems, healthy diets, and better nutrition outcomes worldwide. Opening 18 thematic windows – spanning agroecology, education, resilience, infant and young child feeding, social protection, markets and value chains, and gender equality – it illustrates how interconnected approaches are driving transformative outcomes.
As France was hosting the N4G summit, CIRAD and the French Development Agency (AFD) also insist in a joint position paper on the necessity to integrate nutrition issues into every component of food systems, from production to consumption, via public policies and financing. (News #6)
The The World Food Program highlights that investing in malnutrition prevention during the first 1,000 days improves individual health and strengthens economies, insists that taking action before malnutrition takes hold is crucial, and calls for greater focus and action to prevent wasting. (News #7)
AGRA recommends four key investment priorities for promoting sustainable food systems in Africa. In particular, based on the gaps identified in the 2024 Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme Biennial review, it recommends investing in quality data on nutrition-related indicators, specifically on access to diversified food, prevalence of undernutrition and obesity and cost of the healthy diet. (Publication #8)
At the CGIAR Science Week, various sessions addressed how food systems can specifically promote better diets and nutrition (Event #8)
The UNFSS+4 stocktake, scheduled 27-29 July in Ethiopia, will be key to reflecting on progress in food systems transformation for people’s livelihoods, nutrition and health. (Event #9)
Finally, gender equality was also on the agenda at the summit, with a dedicated session on 28 March and three side events organised by FAO, UNICEF, and the Eleanor Crook Foundation.
The discussion was informed by a report prepared by the International Advisory Group titled Recommendations for Developing Commitments on Nutrition and Gender Equality. This underlines how gender equality should be central to all N4G commitments and identifies six cross-cutting principles for all interventions to improve food and nutrition security: 1) be targeted and inclusive, at minimum, and striving towards transformative action; 2) Address the unique needs and rights of women and girls across their lifespan, considering all forms of malnutrition; 3) Seek to tackle harmful gender norms and dynamics; 4) Recognise the importance of a multisectoral, systems-change approach; 5) Address climate change by centring women and girls in adaptation and mitigation strategies; 6) Close gender and age data and evidence gaps. (Publication #9).
These recommendations are in line with the results of the Knowledge Review on Gender Equality and Food Systems published some weeks ago by the Knowledge Centre in its new section on the topic, on which we reported in our January issue. The topic and the review were presented and discussed during the InfoPoint Conference held on 9 April at DG INTPA in Brussels. The hybrid event gathered almost 200 people and featured presentations by DG INTPA, the Joint Research Centre, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the country coordinator of the PELUM association in Kenya. The lively discussion that followed showed a high degree of collective understanding and commitment among participants, indicating that the European Commission, Member States and other stakeholders can build upon existing expertise and experiences to drive progress. So, stay tuned to follow the next developments!
The recording of the conference and the presentations are available here.
